Abstract:
This study investigates the role played by HIV and AIDS in the structuring of the current identity
of five Filipino adults (as per WHO definition) whose parent(s) are inflicted with the said
disease. A case study design was used to exhaustively describe the experiences of the
participants which include two males and three females whose age range from 18-22 years.
Purposive sampling was used to identify the participants and data were gathered through indepth
interviews. From the experiences they had informants were asked to evaluate their current
personality and how their experiences as a vulnerable child had contributed to its constant
shaping and reshaping, until they came up with the identity they currently use to face the world.
Five themes of how HIV and AIDS had affected the lives of the participants include: (1)
Confronting the Reality of their Parents’ Serostatus, (2) The Psychosocial Effects of their
Parents’ Disease, (3) The Effects of the Coping Mechanisms they Employed, (4) Fulfillment of
their Dreams and their Outlook for the Future and (5) Ego Identity. Each facet of their
experiences as a vulnerable child is found to be connected to another part of their life such that
material components significantly affect the quality of their psychosocial being. Stigma and
discrimination experienced by the participants decreased the level of their help-seeking behavior
both from their community and from their relatives. The effectiveness of the coping mechanisms
they have employed also affected how they deal with their situation and the acceptance of their
family crisis. Lastly, the achievement and underachievement of their goals in life had contributed
on how they evaluate their present “identity” and the way in which they evaluate life and its
meaning.
